De Paul uncorks a long range stunner, but Inter Miami has to hang on against Charlotte

The shot came from about 35 yards out, and nobody at NU Stadium could react in time. Not even Charlotte FC's goalkeeper, who could only watch as the ball cracked off the inside of the left post and into the net. Rodrigo De Paul had just scored a stunner that, for a while, looked like it had put the game to bed for Inter Miami.

It happened in Matchday 34 of the 2026 MLS season, with Inter Miami already ahead on the scoreboard and in need of a goal to settle things down. Venezuelan midfielder Telasco Segovia found De Paul in the middle of the pitch, well outside the box, and the Argentine didn't think twice: he unleashed a sharp, powerful strike that buried itself in the back of the net to make it 3-0.

Up to that point, the match had been a comfortable win in the making for the Florida side. De Paul's goal changed everything in an instant, turning a routine victory into something that was starting to look like a rout. The kind of play that, watched back in slow motion, makes you think the game is already decided.

But soccer rarely leaves things that clear cut. Charlotte FC refused to fold and answered right away through Israeli forward Liel Abada, who scored twice to cut the deficit to 3-2. What looked like a formality turned, within a matter of minutes, into a nerve wracking finish for Inter Miami.

The story of this match at NU Stadium is still being written. For now, what remains is the memory of De Paul's blast, a goal that will be remembered more for how it was scored than for the final result, and the lingering question of how a game that went from total control to a wide open finish in just a few minutes will ultimately be decided.